


Plant Yourself Like a Tree

by Darth_Claire



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: 2016 US Presidential Election, American Politics, Gen, Steve Rogers Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-09
Updated: 2016-11-09
Packaged: 2018-08-30 01:34:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8513644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darth_Claire/pseuds/Darth_Claire
Summary: Steve Rogers reacts to the 2016 US Election





	

Steve stared blankly at the TV screen. He had muted it hours ago, but he couldn’t look away from the scrolling news captions that reported the election result. For the second time in his life he deeply lamented his extreme tolerance to alcohol. The others had gone to bed long ago, but he didn’t think he would be able to sleep for days.

  
The TV clicked off. Steve looked up to see Sharon standing behind him. “Are you still up? It’s 4 AM.”

  
Steve let his head fall back against the chair. “I was hoping that if I kept watching they might say they made a mistake.”

  
Sharon picked up his glass and took a sip of whiskey. “Yeah, I was hoping that if I went to bed, it would all turn out to be a dream.”

  
Steve took the glass and sipped it, feeling the slow burn of the alcohol. “This is the role model that Scott and Clint’s children are going to have for the next four years. Their daughters are going to grow up in a country where our leader thinks it’s acceptable to assault and demean women.”

  
Sharon sat down on the arm of the chair and rubbed the back of his neck.

  
“When Dr. Erskine picked me for project Rebirth, he asked if I wanted to kill Nazis. I told him that I didn’t like bullies, no matter where they’re from,” Steve told her. “I meant that, and I still do.”

  
He took a deep breath. “It makes me glad I gave up being Captain America. The country wasn’t perfect in my day and we made a lot of mistakes. Segregation, restricting voting rights, jailing people for being gay, putting Japanese-Americans in internment camps after Pearl Harbor and the list goes on. Still, I always thought the country could be better than the one I grew up in and when I can out of the ice and saw the progress we had made, it made me believe in the potential of the American people. Now it seems like everyone is determined to go back to 1918. At least back then we could say we didn’t know any better.”

  
Sharon hugged him tightly. The night before the procedure, Dr. Erskine had said to him that the first country the Nazis invaded was their own. He wondered if this was how the Germans had felt during the years when Hitler had risen to power. Had the rational citizen of that country watched with the same feeling of dread and disgust or, without the benefit of hindsight, had they been able to maintain a sense of optimism?

  
“When I came out and heard that we’d won the war, I thought at least I’d made a difference in the world. I didn’t think I’d live to see fascism come to America. Bucky and I died to protect this country from fear mongering tyrants. I guess none of it mattered.”

  
“No,” Sharon said firmly. “You died saving the world. That wasn’t meaningless and you were an example to generations of Americans. And maybe you’re alive now because we need you again now more than ever. Forget Captain America, it’s just a suit and a hunk of metal. The world needs Steve Rogers.”

  
Steve took her hand, squeezing it firmly. There were still good people in the world, people willing to stand up for what was right and defend liberty and human dignity regardless of the cost. Now wasn’t the time to give into despair.

  
“You know, your eulogy at Peggy's funeral was what convinced me not to sign the accords. I think the world needs Sharon Carter too.”

  
She leaned over to kiss him. “Come on. Let's go to bed. You can't fight oppression on two hours of sleep.”

  
Steve let her lead him upstairs. The battle was lost, but tomorrow the real work would begin.

  
-End-


End file.
